American Civil Liberties Union of Washington

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David Russell’s passion for civil liberties began with an infringement on his own civil liberties while serving as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force for 10 years. David became a conscientious objector and applied to be discharged because of his beliefs. The process took a year and culminated with his application being denied, as the Air Force claimed his objection was merely “political.”
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On July 7, the ACLU of Washington joined a broad range of community organizations to co-sponsor a forum on “The Continuing Fight for LGBTQ Equality – What Lies Ahead” at Town Hall Seattle. The event featured a panel to discuss the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision guaranteeing the freedom to marry for same-sex couples and a second panel on the remaining, ongoing efforts to achieve full LGBTQ equality in Washington
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In 2002, Alex Salas was a carpenter climbing scaffolding at a work site on a wet day in October when he slipped and fell more than 20 feet. He suffered 10 fractures and underwent 13 surgeries, and sued the contractor who was responsible for his injuries. At the first trial in 2006, the contractor was ruled negligent as a matter of law but the jury refused to award any damages to Mr. Salas. At a second trial that ended a few weeks ago, the jury awarded over $2.5 million in damages. Why the difference?
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Policy Advocacy intern Sewheat Asfaha comes to the ACLU-WA after volunteering for several nonprofits, with each experience nurturing her passion for protecting the civil liberties of marginalized people. Through working with these populations she has learned how they are systematically discriminated against.
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It has now been one year since I-502 retail stores opened. Although it is too early to tell whether the law is accomplishing all of its goals, we already have some important results. First and foremost, we know that law enforcement resources are no longer being wasted on the arrest and prosecution of adults for the possession and use of marijuana. We are also taking away profits from the black market and investing badly needed tax revenue into public health and prevention programs.
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Agreeing with an ACLU of Washington amicus brief, the Washington Supreme Court has reaffirmed that individuals have the right to criticize how police are handling a situation and that such criticism cannot be the basis of a criminal conviction for obstruction.
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Bobbe Bridge, President of the Center for Children and Youth Justice, and Vanessa Hernandez, ACLU-WA Staff Attorney for the Second Chances Project

Jun 29, 2015

More than 100 years ago, Washington lawmakers created a separate juvenile justice system because they recognized that society benefits when juvenile courts focus on both accountability and rehabilitation.
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Alea Carr’s path to the ACLU-WA office in Seattle goes through Bellingham, where she majored in Political Science and Economics at Western Washington University. While in Bellingham, she worked for a public defender, a job which gave her a glimpse into the state of the U.S. prison system and the prevalence of mental health issues among inmates.
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